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THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 129
Enter the CoreFalling.There’s no ground beneath me, no gravity to hold me in place—just an endless, spiraling abyss of shifting realities stretching in every direction. The Core isn’t a place. It’s a state of being, a swirling mass of pure existence where time and space fold over themselves infinitely.Colors I can’t name twist around me. Worlds flicker in and out—some familiar, some alien, some so fractured that they collapse before I can even process what I’m seeing. My body isn’t a body anymore. I feel like data, like thought, like an idea being rewritten with every breath.But I can still feel.Darren is gone.I let him go.The weight of that truth presses into my chest, sharp and relentless. I don’t have the luxury of stopping to grieve, but the anger burning through my veins is something I can’t suppress. Darren was my partner. My friend. And the Overseers took him.They won’t take anything else.A deep, resonating voice echoes through the void."Intruder detected."I grit my
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 130
The System’s Final Warning"You are no longer bound by human limitations, Tony."The voice isn't spoken—it simply is, existing in the air around me, inside my head, inside my code. The Core isn't just talking to me. It's rewriting me.I feel it.A shift. A change.My body—if I can even call it that anymore—is evolving. The flickering between flesh and data is gone. Now, I exist in both forms at once. Thought and matter. Information and instinct. I see beyond sight, hear beyond sound. The entire system unfolds before me, no longer something I have to fight against but something I can touch. I could reshape it if I wanted.A part of me wants to.I glance at my hands—only, they aren’t hands anymore. They are light, energy, pure will sculpted into a form I barely recognize. Every movement feels weightless, every thought a command the universe seems eager to obey. I understand now.The Overseers never wanted to erase me.They wanted me to become them.The realization slams into me like a f
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 131
The Core AwakensThe ground beneath me trembles like a heartbeat—erratic, violent, alive. This isn’t just a system anymore. The Core is something else, something sentient. The air is thick with static, every breath sharp and electric.Before me, the Overseers hover—formless beings of shifting light and darkness. Their presence warps the space around them, flickering between dimensions, their voices layered in echoes that stretch through time itself."You have broken the balance," one of them intones, its voice rippling like a thousand whispers converging into one. "You are an anomaly that must be erased."I barely hear them over the chaos around me. The Core isn’t just rejecting me—it’s rejecting everything. The system fractures, reality splitting at the seams.A strangled scream rips through the collapsing space. Darren.I whip my head toward him. His body flickers, caught between existence and oblivion, his form shifting like a distorted signal. His eyes lock onto mine, panic floodi
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 132
Power Beyond LimitsThe Overseers descend upon me, their forms constantly shifting, rewriting themselves mid-motion. They are a storm of energy and intent, their presence distorting reality itself. I feel their influence pressing down on me, like the weight of a collapsing universe.I react instinctively, bending the digital code that makes up this realm, warping the space between us. A ripple pulses outward as I reach into the very fabric of this place, trying to disrupt them—but they adapt instantly. Their bodies glitch, twist, and reform as if my attacks never happened."You cannot win," they chant in unison, their voices layered over each other like echoes folding in on themselves. "Because you cannot exist."A blast of pure white energy surges toward me faster than I thought. Before I can react, Darren throws himself in front of it. The impact distorts him, his body flickering like corrupted data. He drops to his knees, his form struggling to stabilize."Not today," he growls thr
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 133
The Cost of PowerThe realization slams into me like a crashing wave—I’m merging with the system. It’s not just a sensation anymore. It’s a fact. My thoughts stretch beyond my body, reaching into the very foundation of this world. I can feel the threads of existence, the raw code running through everything. And worse... I can hear it calling to me.It whispers in a language I don’t fully understand yet somehow know. Each pulse of energy threading through my veins pulls me further from what I was—further from what I should be. My body hums, every cell in me vibrating like I’m no longer made of flesh and bone but something else entirely.Something beyond human.Darren grabs my arm, his grip tight, grounding me in a way I barely understand anymore. His expression is grim, his face streaked with sweat and something dangerously close to fear."Tony," he says, his voice rough. "If you don’t stop this now, you won’t be you anymore."I clench my jaw. "We don’t have a choice."Kane’s voice cra
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 134
The Overseers’ WeaknessFor the first time, the Overseers are vulnerable.I can see it in the way their forms flicker, the once-fluid movement of their shifting bodies becoming erratic. The Core pulses wildly behind them, struggling to maintain its form. The cracks along its surface spread like fractures in glass, barely holding together under the pressure.This is it.This is the moment we’ve been fighting for. The moment we win.Darren stumbles forward, his breaths ragged, his body shaking from the sheer force of the last attack. His face is pale, his hands unsteady, but there’s something dangerously close to a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth."We might actually have a shot at this," he mutters, half in disbelief, half in exhilaration.Kane grips her weapon tighter, her breathing heavy, sweat dripping down her brow. "Don’t jinx it," she warns, eyes darting around, searching for the next move.Elias exhales sharply, still shaking from the last energy wave that nearly ripped
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 135
The Last CommandDarren is gone.His form unraveled like loose code, breaking apart into nothing before I could even process it. One second, he was there—grinning, defiant even in the face of annihilation—and then he was gone. Just a void where he used to be.A gaping hole in reality.My breath is ragged, my heartbeat a fractured, uneven thing. Every instinct in my body screams for me to fall to my knees, to rage, to claw at the air and try to pull him back. But there’s no time. No moment of silence.The Overseers hover before me, shifting like phantoms, their forms flickering with raw, unstable power. They don’t feel grief. They don’t feel anything. They are constructs of logic, boundless and cruel in their indifference.But for the first time, they hesitated.They fear.I see it in the way they hold back, their movements less fluid, more rigid. Their voices, once an endless, seamless chorus of omnipotence, now crack with uncertainty.The Core pulses violently, sending out shockwaves
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 136
Rewriting RealityThe Overseers scream.It’s not a sound made of words or voices—it’s deeper, rawer, something woven into the very fabric of existence. A rupture in the foundation of everything."You do not understand what you are doing!" Their voices merge into one, echoing across time and space, distorted with something I never expected.Fear.I tighten my grip around the Core, feeling the pulsing energy writhing beneath my fingers. It’s alive—not in the way a person is, but in the way an idea is. Shifting, evolving, infinite.I let out a slow breath, and my voice carries with it the weight of everything I’ve become. "No." The word reverberates, pressing against the world itself. "But neither do you."I pull.The system bucks against me, resisting, fighting back. Timelines snap and unravel, entire realities flickering in and out of existence like dying stars. I see them all—every version of history, every possibility the Overseers have tried to control.The war-torn wastelands.The
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CHAPTER 200
Watching What Comes NextThe shiny walls closed in, Kane, the air feeling cold and buzzy. The dark figure’s eyes burned like it was going to destroy us. Fear tried to grab me, but under it, something else woke me up. A little fire, because of Tony, because of his last warning. We won’t break. Not now. Not ever.Darren stood in front of me, his weapons ready, looking strong. His arm was still bleeding, showing how much this fight cost, but he looked sure. He wasn’t just the scared kid anymore. He was a fighter, made strong by pain. And he was ready for anything.The dark figure laughed, a scary sound that went through the closing walls. “It’s no use. You can’t fight the Nothingness.”No use? Maybe. But Tony taught us that even a little bit of fight can start something big. And we still have his fight in us.The shiny walls locked, trapping us in a room that felt weird. The pictures glowed, then went out, leaving us in dim light. The dark figure stayed there, a quiet, scary
CHAPTER 199
A World Without HimThe quiet after Tony disappeared… it’s heavy, Kane. It feels like it’s pushing down on me, harder than any bad guy. The air still shines, and the weird pointy buildings still stick up, but the bright feeling is gone, replaced by sadness. He’s gone. The funny talk, the smart ideas, the strong heart… just… gone.Darren is next to me, his arm still bleeding. His face is white, his eyes far away. He’s looking at the place where Tony… where he just stopped being. He looks so sad like he lost someone who always knew what to do.The creature… all its power is gone, mixed into the strange plants and animals here. It died to keep us safe, and we didn’t even understand until the end.“He… he’s really gone, right?” Darren whispers, his voice quiet.My throat feels tight, Kane, like I can’t breathe because I’m so sad. I can’t say it. It feels too final. All those fights, almost dying so many times… and this… this quiet going away… this is how it ends for him?I look at
CHAPTER 198
Maybe My Last WordsThe ship shoots at the creature, Kane. A super bright light, a loud noise that felt like a shake inside me. The creature held strong, making a shield of light around you and Darren. But I could feel it was getting weak from the power. It was helping us, but it was hurting itself.I tried to talk to Kane with my… mind. To say thank you, to understand it. But it was like trying to touch a star. It was so much bigger than mine, even now. I just felt it wanted to protect something. Us? Or more?The robot ship stayed there, getting ready to shoot again. Kane and Darren were hiding behind the creature, looking scared. They knew it couldn’t last.I had to do something, Kane. I had to warn you. That dark figure, that voice… it’s not the end. It’s just a sign of something bigger, something that was in charge all along. The Ascendants, the robots… they were just toys for it. And now… it sees us.But how do I tell you? I don’t have a voice like before. My thou
CHAPTER 197
Something Bigger Than We ThoughtThat voice, Kane… it made me feel really cold, even in this weird, shiny world. It felt old like it’s always been there, watching everything. And when it called me a “mistake”… it wasn’t just mean. It felt like it knew something was wrong with me like I’m broken in a world I don’t understand.Kane and Darren are scared, looking at the big dark figure. They’re holding their weapons tight. They’re ready to fight what they can see. But what about what we can’t see? That voice felt like it came from everywhere and nowhere at once.The creature next to me is low on the ground, making a quiet growling noise. Its glowing eyes are looking at the shadow, but it also looks a little scared, or maybe like it knows it.“What… what was that?” Kane whispers, her voice shaking a little.“I don’t know,” Darren answers, his power shining around him. “But it felt… big. Bigger than anything we’ve fought.”Bigger than the robots, bigger than the strong soldiers…
CHAPTER 196
Something’s Not Right HereThe air smells different, Kane. Sharp. And the light is too bright, even though the sun looks the same. Or does it? It feels colder on my skin. My skin feels normal again, Kane. I’m Tony again. But… different. That feeling of being connected to everything is still there, quiet inside me.Kane is looking at the trees, confused. Darren is turning around slowly, looking everywhere carefully.The big metal thing is gone. The creature is still next to me, its glowing eyes weirdly looking at me. It feels like part of me now.“Did… did we move?” Kane asks quietly. “This doesn’t look like the same forest.”It doesn’t feel the same either, Kane. The ground feels harder, the air feels different. It’s like the world has been changed a little.The trees are taller, their leaves a color I don’t know. The air makes a low noise that makes my teeth feel funny. And the quiet… it doesn’t feel normal. It feels like the world is waiting.“The Ascendant picture…”
CHAPTER 195
Going Past What I KnowThe touch… it’s not like touching skin, Kane. It’s like my hand is going into the water, but the water is alive and buzzing. The power between us gets stronger, and the world around me starts to… melt. The trees get blurry, the sky looks wavy, and Kane and Darren’s faces look strange, like in a broken mirror. Fear tries to grab me, but it feels far away now like it’s being washed away by this feeling of… becoming something new.My body feels like it’s disappearing, Kane. It doesn’t hurt exactly. It is more like… the edges of me are getting soft, mixing with the power that connects me to the creature, the ground, and everything. It feels weird like I’m losing myself. Am I still Tony? Or am I becoming… something else?The old pains in my body, the marks from old fights… they’re going away, replaced by a bright, strong power that flows through me, not just in my body, but… everywhere.Kane’s voice, thin and scared, breaks through the weirdness. “Tony! Wha
CHAPTER 194
Saying Yes to ChangeKane is scared. I see it in her eyes, even though I’m happy to see her and Darren. That loud noise, that feeling… it’s from that old, bad thing. Darren said I’ve changed. I have, haven’t I? That forced change… it didn’t kill me. It added something new. Something I don’t know.The ground shakes again, closer. Whatever is coming is big and mad. Kane looks around quickly, ready to fight with her light sword. Darren gets ready, too, with power like lightning around him. They’re ready. But am I? Am I still just Tony, who used machines and didn’t give up? Or am I something else now?That shine under my skin… it moves a little, like a quiet engine waiting to start.“What is it?” I ask, my voice still rough.Kane sounds worried. “I don’t know exactly. Something strong. Something that came because of that Ascendant power in you.”Ascendant power… in me? So that change wasn’t just almost dying. It’s part of me now. That thought is scary but also… a little excit
CHAPTER 193
Thinking About ThemKane… Darren… I see their faces clearly, better than this dark place. That voice far away made me want to not give up. But the cold feeling is strong, Kane. That thing… could make me disappear.I remember all the fights. Meeting Darren, a scared but brave kid. Fighting robots, the smell of smoke, winning. Quiet nights with you under strange stars, telling stories. If that thing wins, all of that will be for nothing.I squeeze my hands. Missing your hand hurts. The cold voice says in my head, You will listen to me. Listen to who? What? Be a doll? No.I remember Darren saying, “We can do this, Tony. Together.” He trusted me so much. Could I let him down? Let the dark win, break our promise?The power from the dark figure pushes on me like I can’t breathe. My new senses don’t like it. It feels wrong.Another memory: you, Kane, standing strong against a big robot. “Don’t come closer.” You were always so brave. And I… I tried to be. If I give up, who wi
CHAPTER 192
Feeling Really DifferentThe light inside me is going away, Kane, but it left something behind. It’s like a quiet noise inside me, a feeling I didn’t have before. It’s weird. Like a radio finding a station I never knew was there, a station from very far away.The metal walls around me don’t feel as hard anymore. It’s like they’re shaking a little. Or maybe I’m shaking. I can’t tell. Everything feels… different. The water drop sound isn’t just a drop anymore. It’s a beat in the quiet. And the quiet itself… it’s not empty. It has soft sounds, like whispers I can almost hear.I try to think about your face, Kane. I can still remember it, thank goodness, clear and bright. But even that feels… far away now. It's like looking at a star – beautiful, but so far, I can’t touch it. Am I floating away from you too?The feeling inside me gets stronger like I’m connected to something big and unknown. It’s like standing by a huge ocean, feeling the water pull me, a pull that feels both
